Eternal Memories
by Kusabi
Summary: The nightmare is over, but is it possible to live on with the scars? Fatal Frame III, MAJOR spoilers, as it is postgame. Rated T for later chapters. Chapter 4 is now up.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Yay, another Fatal Frame fanfic! It's been awhile since I've done one… & I've decided to make this one-multi chaptered. Yeah, this is shocking for me… but hey, it should be interesting. The first chapter is a very short, but yeah. Future chapters will be longer.  
2005/12/06 edit: I fixed a little error.  
Fatal Frame III & all characters are © Tecmo LTD.  
Title is the title of a song by Crystal Kay._

**Eternal Memories  
Chapter 01**  
By Kusabi

Rei opened her eyes, and quickly sat up in her bed. She was in her own home once again, and the horrible nightmare was over.  
She glanced down at her arms. Not one of those painful, glowing blue tattoos was to be seen. The curse was broken, and she was free. All of the dead had finally crossed the rift to the other side.  
Her body racked with a sudden nausea. Yuu was gone from her. Forever. He told her that a part of him would live on, so long as she did. He could live on until she died, as a memory.  
Tears flowed out of Rei's eyes, and she let out a scream. She could never see his smile, hear his voice, or feel his touch ever again. All she had was his memory.

Sitting in her room, Miku thought things over silently. Was her brother really gone forever? She had never wanted to think of the possibility, but she decided it was time to face reality now. However, the thought of Mafuyu's return fought to stay alive in her mind, but she banished the though whenever it arose.  
Warm tears began to stream down her cheeks, but she wiped them away as quickly as they came. Pain filler her heart. With this, a thought came to her. _I'm still alive. What would Mafuyu think if he saw me like this?_ She emitted a small laugh. _He would tell me to go on… that's what he told everyone…  
_Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream.  
_Rei…_


	2. Chapter 2

2005/11/29

_Author's Note: Chapter Two… not much to say…  
2005/12/06 edit: I fixed a storyline error... I had messed up on Yuu's profession a bit, haha.  
__Fatal Frame III & all characters herein are © Tecmo._

Eternal Memories  
Chapter 02

By Kusabi

Five minutes elapsed. Her tears finally came to a halt. Eyes worn out, Rei merely sat on her bed, trembling. Thoughts consumed her.  
Prior to Yuu's death, Rei had figured she would lead a normal life. She would live her life as a photographer, Yuu would lead his life studying anthropology, and Miku would stay with them until she finally got out on her own. But she had figured her and Yuu would be together, forever.  
Then _that_ happened.  
Rei had begun to lead semi-normal life, before the Manor of Sleep incident. Of course, she had been swamping herself with work, in order to not have to think about it, but at least it took her mind off of him. She never planned on forgetting Yuu, and swore to stay faithful to him, even in his death.  
"Rei…?"  
Having been so lost in thought, she hadn't noticed her young assistant standing in her doorway. _How long has she been there?  
_"Miku… you're fine…"  
Cocking her head to the side, Miku looked at Rei with a confused look on her face. "What do you mean…?"  
"Ah…" Rei quickly explained to Miku about how worried she had been, that night when she found Miku in a coma, with the handmaidens standing over her.  
Miku was shocked, but she was so overwhelmed with worry for Rei at the moment. "But what about you? Are you all right? I heard you scream…"  
Rei said nothing, but simply stared downward. Miku could see the sadness in her eyes. She took this to mean '_I don't want to talk about it right now_'. She nodded at Rei, and then turned to leave.

Miku wandered down the steps, and plopped down on the couch. It was then that she noticed the black, soot-like mark on the long part of the couch. She had remembered seeing a mention of that happening to those who go into the Manor, after sleeping for quite awhile.  
_But… who…?_ She wondered. _Who else could have been here?  
_"It's still there…"  
Turning, Miku saw Rei standing outside of her room on the second floor. It seemed as though seeing that mark added to her sadness, and the look on her face reminded Miku of someone who hadn't sleep in weeks.  
"Kei Amakura came…" she explained. "He was helping me out. When he went to seal the Priestess in the Chamber of Thorns, he was… taken…"  
Unsure of what to say, Miku looked down. A small memory of Mafuyu talking about Kei came into her mind. Her brother had worked with Kei, and always had good things to say about him. She had hoped to meet him just once.  
Rei seated herself next to Miku on the couch. "So… what are we going to do now?"  
"Well," Miku said lightly, "there's only one thing to do. We have to…" she trailed off. Why was it so hard to say?  
"We have to… move on…"


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Chapter Three… woohoo… this one's a bit longer. Hooray!  
__Fatal Frame III & all characters herein are © Tecmo._

**Eternal Memories  
Chapter 03**  
By Kusabi

A week. _Has it really only been a week? It feels like it's been longer…  
_Rei hadn't left her room since after she had her talk with Miku the week before. Miku had been bringing meals up to her, yet in her grief-stricken state, she still grew thinner and weaker, day-by-day. The dream she had just awoken from came back to her.  
"You have to live on… I may be gone, but you're still there. Please, just continue to live…"  
Yuu's voice rang in her mind. Though the Manor of Sleep dreams had passed, thoughts of Yuu still came to her each night. She awoke each morning with tears in her eyes, and would lie in bed for most of the day. Whenever meals came, she would nod to Miku to indicate thanks, and would move to the desk to each once she left.  
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and set them on the floor. Using her arms, she slowly lifted herself off of the bed. She grabbed a pair of jeans, clean undergarments, and her beige work shirt, then headed downstairs for a shower.  
As the warm water washed over her, she began to get lost in though once again. She spent about five minutes thinking of nothing in particular. Thoughts and images ran rampant through her mind. When she finally snapped out of it, and realized where she was again, she hurried up and finished her shower. After she finished, she dried herself off, and changed into her work clothes.  
As she exited the shower room, Miku passed by her in the hallway. They both stopped and looked at each other. She gave Rei a small smile.  
"Do you have an assignment today?" She was a little surprised, since Rei had asked her, after the Manor of Sleep dreams started, to say no to all future appointments until further notice. _Did she get another call and not tell me about it?  
_"Ah, no," Rei replied, shaking her head. "I figured that I'd go into the city and take pictures. You know, to get some practice." In all honesty, she just wanted to take pictures of the city in order to clear her head, since she had certainly gotten enough practice in the Manor. The thought sent a chill up her spine.  
Miku nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?"  
"Thank you, but I'll be fine."

Rei hadn't had the will to get another car since the accident, so she took the bullet train. Prior to her departure, she had grabbed a courier bag, her camera, some film, and a little bit of money. She planned to walk around the city for about an hour, taking pictures whenever it seemed right.  
Stepping out of the station, the busy city actually seemed inviting to Rei. It was a bright, sunny Saturday, and lots of people were out. Though seeing a few happy couples saddened her, she decided to just get lost in the energy of the crowds. The city wasn't lonely, unlike _that_ place.

After twenty minutes, Rei had gotten some good shots of buildings. A few people even stopped her to ask if she would take their photo, thinking she worked for a magazine, or something of the like, and they would get attention. Despite the fact that she wasn't, she would always take their photo anyway.  
As she waited to cross an intersection, she stuck her camera inside her bag. The crowd of people moved, but then stopped again, as the "Don't Walk" sign came back up. Now, she was near the front of the crowd, and had a good view of the intersection. The cars started moving once again.  
_**Crash.  
**_A driver that hadn't been paying attention crossed a red light, and crashed into the side of another car. A third car then crashed into the back of the car that had been hit.  
Rei completely froze up, and then passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Chapter Four! I'll probably be slow writing the rest… since FINALS are coming up… gah.  
__Fatal Frame III & all characters herein are © Tecmo._

**Eternal Memories  
Chapter 04  
**By Kusabi

_Briiiiiiiiing. Briiiiiiiiing.  
_"Hello, this is Miku Hinasaki speaking."  
"Ms. Hinasaki, are you living with Rei Kurosawa?"  
"Yes… did something happen to her?"  
"Ah, this is Katsuragi Hospital. Ms. Kurosawa fainted today, after witnessing a car wreck. She was brought to us, and I was told to call and see if anyone would need to be informed."  
"Thank you, I'll be there soon."  
_Click._

Rei found herself on a rainy road. She was once again at that ugly scene. There was her overturned car, and the horrible result of her stupidity.  
_I don't want to see this anymore.  
_Yet, her legs were moving. They were moving her towards all that she hated, and inside, all that she loved.  
_Stop.  
_Moving. She couldn't stop moving. And then, his body came into view. His eyes were closed, and his face seemed almost peaceful. But even if he was, there was no changing the awful reality. The love of her life was dead.  
_Can you really be at peace, when **I **killed you?  
_She fell to her knees. Tears streamed out of her eyes, and were quickly swallowed up by the rain on her cheeks.  
"Yuu…"  
_What am I supposed to do now?  
_Her surroundings faded to black. The road, the car, and the rain – they were all gone. In the blink of an eye, she found herself standing at the rift again.  
"Rei."  
There he was, standing in front of her again. He seemed so far away, but she found herself unable to close the distance. Her legs felt like stone.  
"I already told you, I don't blame you."  
_But you should.  
_"You have to live on. I'm only a memory now."  
_I want to be with you.  
_"Forget about me."  
_You know I could never do that.  
_"Live."  
_But if I die, I can be with you.  
_Once again, he faded away.

"Rei?"  
Moving her head to the left, Miku came into view. Rei blinked twice, noticing she was in a different, yet somehow familiar, setting. Sitting up, she looked down at the bed she was sleeping on. Becoming nauseous, she realized exactly where she was. She jumped up off the bed.  
"Ah, Rei-!"  
"I'm not staying here! I'm not staying anywhere near here! Especially not that bed! I saw Yoshino Takigawa disappear there before my eyes!" Her voice was heavy with fright.  
"Rei, calm down…"  
"Calm down? Miku! You saw the marks left behind by those who disappear! And I was**here** when it happened!"  
Miku's eyes widened. She had never heard Rei lash out at her like this. As her eyes began to water, she noticed two doctors rush in. After much shouting and kicking, they finally managed to calm Rei down, and get her to sleep in another hospital bed.  
Sighing, one of the doctors, a woman with shoulder-length black hair, turned to Miku. "What happened?"  
Regaining her composure, Miku quickly explained to her about Rei's ordeals. Losing Yuu, seeing Yoshino disappear, and seeing Kei disappear. Of course, the doctors already knew about Rei seeing the wreck. The only part she left out was a huge part, the Manor of Sleep. She knew the doctors would have a hard time swallowing that one.  
The doctor nodded. "I see. It looks like we're going to have to keep her for a few days. She's probably going through stress-related depression, I imagine. We'll call you when she's ready to go home." She put a hand on Miku's shoulder. "It'll be okay."  
With a look of sadness, Miku nodded. "I understand."


End file.
